🚑 🩺 DEHYDRATION AND DIARRHEA

“Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate“. We are very familiar with that quote and especially how it relates to the drugs that have been used in this whole cancer journey. I’m not going to lay out all the science behind this but basically you don’t want things settling in your bladder that are waste products of said drug.

John just got through his colonoscopy procedure. We ended up calling the prep for it “induced diarrhea”. Now being that we were in the comfort of our home we could take care of the situation quite well. But what if you encounter the unpleasant purge for whatever reason, while away or don't have medical services available? Let’s address the two “D’s”

Dehydration: Hydration is more important than we think. We are fluid beings. We are constantly producing new cells. Well, where do the old dead ones go? With a little help from us they can move along the hydrating machine. John, once got so dehydrated during his chemo treatment he had to be hospitalized and given a lot of IV fluids.

Diarrhea: One of the most dangerous and rapid killers of little children is dehydration and diarrhea . The pages at the end of this post are from the book Where there is no Doctor, lays it out simply. We have had this book in our possession for many years. We had it along when we worked overseas and have referred to it many times. One of the times being when our son was a baby and suffered from high fevers and just couldn’t drink without throwing it all up again. Scary.

Okay, so we see that the two “D’s” can be problematic in anyone when out of control. Let’s talk equipment for a tad. Just from personal experience one of the tools to make “clean up” easier is …drum roll please…….sanitary pads. They come in different sizes, lengths, absorbency, gender oriented, and some of them are down right stylish. Like the ones that look like underwear. They make them for women and men.

Now, I know this isn’t new information. What needs to be conquered here is the psychological part. Who wants to wear diapers when they are in big boy pants? Anyway, if you are in a “messy”situation you will be soooooo glad for the product.

One tool that makes clean up easier is the bidet. Many cultures have that mechanism attached to their toilets. Ours is a special hose attached to the tank that you turn on and control the flow. Before that we had a bidet bottle you keep filled with water.

And of course, there is the shower. And what helps there is the type of shower head that detaches and is on a long hose. Ya don’t need a full scale shower every time the “urge” hits you and you didn’t quite get to the toilet in time.

While you’re in the sanitary department at the drug store, grab a package of personal wipes. They are like baby wipes for adults. And of course you can use baby wipes but the adult ones are bigger.

I hope this article has “moved”you along in your understanding of the issues as well as given you some tips on caring for yourself and loved ones if you have to.

Where There Is No Doctor, is likely the most widely-used health care manual in the world. Available in more than 80 languages, used in 221 countries and territories, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Every resource developed is field-tested to ensure it's appropriate for a diverse global audience, medically accurate, easy-to-understand, and empowers the reader to take action to improve the health of their communities. There are constant updates you can purchase the most recent version or get the PDF version for free  at the Hesperian site.

To get a flavor for the book here are the 4 pages on dehydration.